"Perhaps we will finally get to grips with one of these villains..."
"To the sky it is then. Stay safe, all."
Rahdeem slips down the first open alleyway or corner he can find, then launches himself up, hoping to avoid detection from whomever might be following them and any onlookers, then finds his way back to the group, maintaining an overwatch position as the others move down the street.
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Perception
The "merchant" indeed moves to quickly for Roonie to keep up (40' move rate), but with stealth, he is able to get the general direction and get a closer look before slipping away to enhance his own movement.
Luckily, Roonie is stealthy enough and Rahdeem far enough away to escape the villian's notice. He does seem to be headed for the Low Caste District.
However, as the main group approaches Hali's "home". a small lean-to propped against a mud-and-stick building, Rahdeem catches sight of the "merchant" headed towards another building- a larger brick building with a sloping terra-cotta roof.
"Roonfizzle, see if you can get closer and find out how many are in that building. We'll see to getting the girl settled and then come to back you up."
::"Rahdeem did you get that, head over as well, Ill stay with the Hali once Ryyce heads your just in case, if you need me call"::
she talks Hali hand and walks with her to her home hut.
"So this is where you live Hali, how about you show me the inside"
While she talks she lifts off her psicystal and places just buy the door, letting it go in before them.
::"Report what you see"::
she order it
"I lost him. He's moving LOTS faster than most of you big people do!"
After coordinating with Rahdeem, Roonie finds the building in question, and begins to slip closer to get a feel for how many are present, what sorts of people inhabit the building.
"OK, with Rahdeem's help, I found it, I'm going in as requested, to see what I can find out. Even though you are all close, I'm still going to prioritize not being seen."
"Hali, stay home today and watch for strangers. There are dangerous people about. Ok?" he waits for the girl's agreement.
Then he gives her a few silver coins.
"This is for your help."
Then he looks to Calista
"We should probably catch up with Roonfizzle. I don't want him to get in trouble if we aren't close by to help."
"Yes I will be along and soon as I have done what I said, there is a chance long fingers has a root from that hut to this. I want to check inside and make sour Hali is safe"
She waits for Hali to show her into the hut.
After giving Roonie directions, Rahdeem concentrates and activates Chameleon and tries to move un-noticed to a new, closer perch above the building where he'll have a good view of the approach. Upon arriving, he looks around.
"I'm in place, just come when you can." he replies to the others.
"And be careful down there Roonie."
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Hali smiles as Yander gives her the coins, but her eyes flicker around warily to make sure none of the locals see her accept them, stashing them quickly in her clothes. To Calista, she says "There's not much of an 'in' to be had, but, please, Lady Calista. be my guest." and walks to the side of the hut where her lean-to is set up. She is not kidding, as there's barely room for the two girls to sleep, and a little firepit with a kettle. Another young lady sees Hali and leaps to her feet. In Vudrani "Hali! Where have you been all night? I was so worried I couldn't sleep!"
Meanwhile, a few blocks away, Roonie sees that "Longfingers" has entered a silk mill. A quick peak reveals four men working at large looms in a room crowded with spools of silkstring and cluttered work gear. while Longfingers travels into a back room. The only other window are in front of the building, and Roonie can see a dye room, and can smell the pungent odor even through the windows.
The building is 20' tall brick with a terracotta roof.
She holds out her hand and her psicystal flys into it, in a single move she places it once more on her belt. Looking around the hut how she is in it, she sees the tiny space.
"Well Hali a home is a home, there are many on the streets that have nothing. So is this your sister, do just the two of you live here, or are your parents out working?"
From his perch on the building across the street, Rahdeem watched Roonie steal a glance into the building, then lets his eyes dart to the clay roof.
That looks somewhat fragile. I wonder if I could break through it in a pinch? he thinks to himself, careful to avoid broadcasting to the others, before asking Roonie over the mindlink,
"What do you see in there, friend?"
"Well, looks like a silk workshop? Factory? Lots of LARGE looms and tools. Looks kind of crowded, 4 men in the front, 'Fingers' went into a back room."
"I could grow to giant size, walk up to the front door, knock loudly to attract attention while you slip in the back." Yander thinks back to the group.
As always, his face scrunches up as he "thinks" his thoughts to the others over the mindlink.
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"Funipel might as well be my sister, but we were not born of the same family. We look after each other." Hali offers.
Funipel, for her part, examines Calista and Yander with a cold, discerning eye. "I hope that you have paid Hali well for whatever business you had that kept her from her home all night. If she has not gotten a good night's rest, she will likely earn none today."
Looks into the mind of Funipel,
"She has been a most excellent guild Funipel, showing in some of this citys great sites. I am Lady Calista and this is Sir Yander, we just wanted to see that Hali got home well and safe, we have a lot to do yesterday and felt it was better she stay the night and not rick walking the streets late."
::"Yander if you wish to head to the others please feel free, all looks well here. I will follow shortly."::
"And then what, Sir Royce? Are you suggesting we attack them outright? Or that we simply allow Roonie the opportunity to infiltrate?"
Rahdeem pauses, and continues.
"If it's the latter, perhaps I can distract them from up here, and then we both can stay hidden."
Roonie sneaks up to a shadow near the edge of the Silk factory, and looks out across the open area towards the door.
"Question. Can any of you lie with a straight face? No? Hmmm.. Well... I have an idea, and it MIGHT work if you keep one thing in mind. Don't lie. Lady Calista? Do you think you'd be interested in perhaps window shopping for something in Silk? Sir Yander, do you think you could act like Lady Calista's hired guard? If both of you think that you can believe that deeply enough, the two of you could openly walk in the front door, do some light window shopping, possibly BUY something, and I, well, will have back up. ...
"Once. When I was much younger, did something like this without proper back up. I nearly didn't make it out. That time they were planning on killing my friends. I took offense, but wasn't properly prepared. If I do go in there, I'd much prefer to have backup with in range. I've gotten more cautious with my old age. I've also stopped losing as many fingers and other odds and ends. What's your alternate plan Rahdeem?"
"I'm just thinking that if the man in there paid Hali to deliver the note to Yander, perhaps he ought not to show himself. If we want to follow them, or listen in for a while, that might teach us something about what they're up to and to whom they answer. And if we need a distraction, or back-up for that matter, I am well positioned here to do both. Perhaps Sir Yander and Lady Calista could position themselves close by as well?"
::"I have some skill in hiding lies, for me and others, but our looks my late us down, they may know just what we look like. But I think I can deal with that. Sir Royce shall we, or do you have a better idea?"::
::"There that should help"::
"That sounds like a much subtler plan, if less satisfying, than simply battering down the front door down and having at them."
"Ha. Yes, for now. Though I expect we'll see our share of violence soon enough... Go ahead, get into positions around the building everyone, and check in. Then I'll distract the door on your 'go', Roonie. And we'll be right behind you."
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A plan finally laid out, Rahdeem "rattles" the door, and when one of the workers comes to investigate, Roonie slips into the building unseen.
A quick slip into the spinning and dyeing room with no observers gives him an opportunity to decide whether to listen to the conversation taking place in the room to the south or attempt entry.
Roonie listens in to the idle chatter while visually exploring entry options.
"Roonie," Rahdeem calls out over the mindlink, "What are they talking about in there?"
Walking to the building she says.
"We will be there in a moment, so is every one ready"
Roonie looks up from his hiding spot, where he's examining the doorway into the other room, while listening to the conversation nearby, trying to decide which group to focus on.
"Still listening, don't need to interrupt just yet. When it's time, you'll know!"
"When we're ready, I think I can keep a straight face if we wander in there and look around like we don't know they're villains."
waits for the all clear
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Roonie listens at the door, catching a discussion deep in progress.
The first voice, female with an otherworldly, lilting tone. ...does not mean they will withdraw their interest, Lankesh. We know little of these strangers, and that seems to be the point."
The second, high-pitched, male, "If they care so little for the girl's life, it would be my pleasure to see her punished for their arrogance."
"Don't be so... impertinent, Lankesh. We should send other deterrents before employing that particular tactic."
"Has all this silk made you soft, Sarpini? The god is not called the Ebon Waiter..."
The female voice becomes sharp, interrupting "Do not presume to lecture me about Dhavavei, Lankesh. A year ago you were as much a stranger to The Unsuspected Rot as these foreigners. No, you will observe and report. I will send the necessary discouragements from this point."
"I can hear a Male voice and a Female voice. Female voice is a: In charge, and b: Male voice is all for killing Hali just because. Female voice is berating Male voice. Male voice is named, "Needs to Die" I mean, Lankesh. Female voice is named Sarpini. I doubt we can take either alive, but we MIGHT get more out of her, she sounds like the old hand, and he's a more recent, albeit fervent, recruit."
"So, options. We take them here and now, or continue to trail one or both of them, and take them elsewhere. Thoughts? Here's the room I'm in's layout, and positions for the others in here. I can not see either Lankesh or Sarpini from here."
:"We take them now, If we can take her I can try and read her mind. Him I think we have to take down. He seems the bigger danger for now, If we can do that with out death good, but if not I am fine with that. It's her I want, she will have knowledge we need. So I suggest we hit, and now hard. Go in from as many entrances as we can. Smash and grab."::
She moves around the looks at Sir Yander Royce
::"Can you and your beast take the front, block that put the fear of god into them then we hit. Don't give them time to react. Rahdeem can you cover the top, even come in that way, stop them flying off if they can. Reckless can you get inside to the point of eyeballing them. As Yander hits them from the front I'll cover the back. Once you tell us your in place, we move, Yander then us. Once we start Rahdeem youer going to have to spot for us let us., let us know which root they are taking. I want to get close and hit them with a little thing that will hurt real bad if they stay put. So trust if I can they will move. So what do you think, we have to act fast mind you."::
She waits to see what the others say, before moving to go round the back of the silk shop.
"Agreed .... we cannot let this villain go free to harm more innocents." Yander communicates back over the link.
"Come on Junebug" he says to his warhorse as he strides towards the front door of the building.
(free action)
As he approaches the door he increases in stature until he stands as tall as an ogre.
(standard action) Size Alteration: (1 Tran mental focus) (As Enlarge Person: +2 size bonus to Strength, a -2 size penalty to Dexterity (to a minimum of 1), and a -1 penalty on attack rolls and AC due to its increased size. Net: +1 damage, -2 AC, Reach, 3d6 damage from greatsword)
(move action) As he approaches the door he unlimbers his (now enormous) greatsword from his back and brings the pommel crashing down on the door with a thunderous boom.
"Open up Villains!!! Now is the time for your reckoning and you have much to answer for!!!" he calls out in Taldan.
Junebug follows behind.
She she looked for a spot to place her Psicysil so that it had view of the back of the shop but with some cover so it could see but be hidden. Once happy she powers up.
Around the back she has her psionic Armor up
She took out her dagger, then moved to the back door and waits, slowly she checks she can get in by testing the door just a little.
::"I am on place, give Yander the word when you all are, then he makes his move to flush them out. Remember we are only here for cultists, try not to kill or hurt the shop staff."::
Rahdeem leaves his post from across the street and climbs higher into the sky, sliding over to be above the building as Yander moves up to it. Still hidden from view by his Chameleon power, he conjures some subtle defensive winds, which start swirling around him, just in case someone does manage to see him.
Keeping his eyes moving in a pattern that covers the whole building and all its entrances and exits, Rahdeem signals to the others that he is in position, just before hearing Yander announce his presence.
::I am ready. I'll launch an assault as needed. Proceed::
Yander hammers away at the front door with the hilt of his sword.